DHAKA Bangladesh police seized explosives and bomb-making materials on Sunday from a hideout used by Jama'atul-Mujahideen militants believed to be behind a spate of recent attacks in the south Asian nation, a police spokesman said.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh has seen a rise in Islamist violence in the last year, including the killing of several liberal activists and attacks on minority Shi'ite Muslims, a Christian priest and Hindu temples.

Police searched a house on the outskirts of Dhaka based on information from members of the banned Jama'atul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) captured in an earlier raid in the capital, said Maruf Hossain Sardar, a deputy commissioner of police.

A large amount of bomb-making equipment and explosives were found in the raid, he added.

The group is believed to be behind attacks such as the bombings of a Shi'ite shrine and the killing of two foreigners.

Militant group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for some recent attacks, including the killing of a Hindu priest last week and an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in November.

The government denies that Islamic State has a presence in Bangladesh, and instead blames Islamist political opponents for instigating violence in the nation of 160 million people.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Ros Russell)

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